Absolute Euphoria
by Dreamicide
Summary: On Hiatus. Would you like to help me? "After a what she calls fateful meeting with him, Hanabi has convinced herself that she loves Kiba. But how will Hinata react? And does Hanabi even stand a chance with Kiba?"
1. Meeting

**Notes:** (2010) - My very first Naruto fanfic, and for an unusual pairing, too. It's embarrassing for me to reread my works from four years ago, but I hope you will enjoy it!  
**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

**Meeting**

"Hanabi."

The sound of the slightly stern voice brushed against the girl's ears as she was busy cutting tree sap from an old oak tree using her kunai knife. The sappy goo substance was slowly running over the knuckles of her small fingers, and she flexed the muscles in her hands before looking up to see the Lord Hyuuga.

She blinked, and brushed her legs off with her elbows, being careful not to make the sap run over her clothes. She stood up and acknowledged her father's presence. "Hyuuga-sama."

"I need you to run an errand for me," Lord Hyuuga announced. His eyes fixed on his daughter in an, 'I-won't-take-no-for-an-answer' way. He didn't make Hanabi do such things everyday, so he wanted to make sure she did as he told. He waited for her answer, as he continued to give her a stern look. He was expecting complaints and frowns from his daughter.

The joints in Hanabi's legs stiffened. Her eyebrows curved down and the corner of her mouth dropped. "Make Hinata do it," she said, flatly. Honestly, if she was going to overpower that weak sister of hers and become the head of the family, she shouldn't be running around doing _errands_. Hanabi has been busting her butt off for the past few weeks throwing kunai at targets, practicing the Gentle Fist Style on dummies, basic pushups and pull-ups, and even some survival tactics, like food and shelter…all in the comfort of the Hyuuga Manor's courtyard. She hasn't left the area for two and a half weeks.

Lord Hyuuga's eyebrows molded into a slightly impatient expression. "She cannot. Hinata left early this morning to go out and train by herself. She will not be back until late."

Hanabi's shoulders slouched. "Make Neji do it."

"Neither can Neji. He was assigned to a mission with his team. He left two days ago."

Hanabi's hand twitched in irritation. "Make…_anyone_ do it. Not me. I'm busy," she stated, and retained her perfect posture.

"No, Hanabi. I want _you_ to do it. You have cooped yourself up in the courtyard for nearly three weeks. You need to go out for a while and get exercise in your legs. You will get too attached to this house if you lock yourself here any longer," Lord Hyuuga said. Just as he suspected, she would refuse.

Hanabi's irritation grew. How stupid. It's like those things parents say you should or should not do…but for no reason or excuse._ Like peeing in the shower. _Hanabi added as an afterthought.

Seeing as how she couldn't win this argument, she arched her back to look up at Lord Hyuuga and said, "What do you want me to do?"

The corners of Lord Hyuuga's mouth twitched slightly, as if to stop himself from smiling. "I wish for you to make a delivery."

_.o._

The yellow package paper crumpled against Hanabi's grip as she walked through the residential streets of Konoha. She was beginning to think that she had indeed spent too much time in the Hyuuga manor—she was bumping into classmates on every sidewalk who would run up to her, asking her where the heck she's been all this time, and how she was doing this summer. Hanabi mostly answered in a nonchalant fashion, such as, "Good," and, "Fine," and the occasional, "Yes, that too."

After unwillingly talking to Konohamaru, she became annoyed. All Hanabi wanted to do was take this stupid package to the resident post office, mail it off, and go back home to more training (or hopefully camp _away_ from the house)... Perhaps…

"Perhaps…" Hanabi said to herself. "Perhaps I should see how fast I could run. That would be best…I can gather strength in my legs, and it would be easier to avoid people…Yes…" she smiled to herself. How had she already gotten so far to the post office and not even considered this? _Even I…_she thought _…can be an idiot_. Not that she would ever admit this kind of thing to anyone she knew.

Hanabi took the package from her arms and leaned it against a wall. She took the time to stretch her knees, calves, ankles, and overall legs to make sure she wouldn't sprain anything—or worse. After that, she grabbed the package and crumpled it into her jacket, to ensure that it would not fall out. Hanabi hasn't done anything involving speed in quite a while, so she had no clue if she would be outrageously fast, or downright slow.

Hanabi climbed on top of the wall and squinted her eyes to try and spot the post office. When she did, she calculated the distance from the wall to the building.

"OK. It is about two kilometers. I should be able to run that distance and not trip over anybody," Hanabi took a few deep breaths and crouched into a position as though one would do in a race. Checking once again to make sure the package was in place, she gripped on the ground and said to herself, "Ready…steady…GO!" she sprung from her position and flung her arms to and fro to keep balance as she thrusted her legs on the ground heavily.

As it turned out, Hanabi was fast on her feet. _Ridiculously_ fast. Her surroundings seemed almost like a blur of air, as her hair whipped around her eyes and cheeks. It was a sudden burst of adrenaline, and the outbreak caught Hanabi off guard. She had barley passed three blocks when suddenly, her arms and chest went in a shock of numbness, a hard slab of concrete slammed into the back of her head, and she was staring up at the cloudy sky. _Oh, damn…!_

She had done exactly what she told herself she wouldn't do. How could she be so stupid? Hanabi gritted her teeth and slammed her eyes shut, eyebrows curved fiercely downwards. She hoped that whomever she crashed into didn't break any of their bones…

"Hey! That hurt, you know!" the voice was male, and young. He sounded pissed.

Hanabi kept whispering to herself, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" as she heard the shifting sound of clothing, indicating that the person was getting up and moving toward her. Keeping her eyes shut, she continued to wish that she would disappear.

Suddenly she felt a pair of hands slide under her back, and help pull her up. Once Hanabi was sitting upward, she rubbed the back of her head to check if she was bleeding. She was, but only a little trickle of blood caught her fingertips. She then brought up the courage to lift her head and see just whom she crashed into.

He was one of the most handsome people she had ever seen—that's who she crashed into! His brown, ruffled hair moved in rhythm to the small wind, his eyes giving a look of concern (or was it anger?) toward her, his fingernails that resembled claws…and those two, long, red, dashes on his cheeks…who _was_ this?

Without realizing it, Hanabi was absolutely downright staring at him.

"Hey…are you OK? You look dazed." The person frowned. "You really should look where you're going. And what the hell were you doing, going so fast? If it were anyone besides me, they would have a few cracked ribs right about now," the boy said…rather proudly.

Finally it was Hanabi's turn to speak. She scrambled up from the ground, and bowed as low as her head could go, the tips of her hair gracing the ground. "I-I'm really sorry. I'll be more careful next time." She was bending her back so low that when she drew herself back up, the joints in her spine cracked. She tried to give him a polite smile, but she wasn't used to trying to be so kind to someone. It was difficult…but she didn't want to give him a bad impression…in case they were to meet again.

"Hmm?" the boy suddenly drew his face closer to hers, and looked deep into her eyes.

_What? What the hell is he doing…?_ Hanabi was screaming in her head. But she remained still, as she felt her face go red. _I thought it was only Hinata's face that would blush this violently._

"Hey, I know those eyes. You're a Hyuuga, aren't you," The boy said, matter-of-factly. His mouth twitched into a split-second smile, then resumed. "I have a Hyuuga member on my team. Hyuuga Hinata."

That statement utterly shocked Hanabi. Hinata has such a handsome guy like this on her team…yet she continues to honor that Naruto idiot? Just how stupid _was_ her sister? Hanabi's eyes grew wide, and her mouth opened—but she immediately caught herself and closed it again. "Oh…I-I am Hinata's sister."

"Oh! You're 'Hanabi-chan!'" the boy exclaimed immediately after Hanabi's response.

This made Hanabi blush even more, and sent her into a daze. _He called me "Hanabi-chan"…!_ She repeated the sound of his voice yelling her name over and over again in her head. For a brief moment, Hanabi was in total bliss.

"Um, OK, well…" they boy scratched the back of his head. "You don't look _too_ injured. So, uh, I better get going…" he made a small bow and gathered the few items he dropped. When he made sure he had everything, he started to walk away.

Only then did Hanabi snap out of her daze, and without her thinking, she called out to him, "W-Wait!"

The stranger paused in his tracks and turned to look at her, with a confused face. "What?"

"W-What's you name?" realizing how stupid she must sound, Hanabi's voice became small and shy.

"Oh, sorry. It's Inuzuka Kiba." The boy called Kiba gave a wave and a small smile, and then turned around to continue on his way. Hanabi took her time to study his broad, handsome back, before he disappeared around the corner.

The yellow package that Hanabi originally left the Hyuuga manor for to deliver was left forgotten in her jacket as she stood there in the middle of the street, convincing herself that she had just met the man of her dreams.

**To be continued...**


	2. Bento Love

**Bento Love**

For the next three days Hanabi couldn't take her mind off of Inuzuka Kiba. She even stopped her exercises in the courtyard just so she could lay sprawled on her bed in the middle of her plain room and daydream about him. Her eyes glued to the ceiling, she pictured his face in her mind, and listened to him calling _Hanabi-chan!_ over and over again. His brown hair, his claw-like hands, his sharp eyes, oh…

"Hanabi?" it was the stern voice again. Hanabi closed her eyes, wishing that her father would leave her alone, so she could continue with her fantasies. For a minute, she thought he had left, thinking she was asleep. But then he spoke again. "Hanabi."

She moaned, then sat up and turned her head to look at him. "Yes, Hyuuga-sama."

The Lord Hyuuga gave a slight smile, pleased that she listened to him. "I need you to deliver something…" Without her noticing, he strengthened his grip on her doorknob, prepared for her reaction.

Hanabi's face jerked up, shocked and angry. "No! I just went on one of your errands! I need to train!" Her face looked flushed and red. _If this man plans on making me deliver another stupid package, then he has another thing coming!_

Lord Hyuuga smirked a little bit. "I see. Tell me, Hanabi, how does lying on your bed with a dazed look on your face contribute to your training?" She didn't honestly believe that the Head of the Hyuuga house was this _stupid_, did she?

Hanabi looked hurt for a moment. "I was…just resting," she looked down at her hands resting in her lap. Great…her blissful dreams would have to be delayed for a while. Hanabi sighed, "What do you need me to do…"

Lord Hyuuga stood up straighter and reached behind him for something. Then, from his back, he drew out something that looked like a bento box. "It seems as though Hinata has forgotten her lunch for today. I need you to deliver it to her. She should be out in the training grounds with the rest of her team—"

Those words pinged Hanabi's ears, and she automatically threw the covers off her bed, ran and grabbed the bento box from Lord Hyuuga, and made a low, thanking bow. "I'll get this to her right away!" she gasped, and then ran out the door.

Lord Hyuuga remained where he was, confused. _Well,_ he thought to himself. _That was certainly not the reaction I was expecting from her. _He chuckled. He wondered what made her so eager all of the sudden…

_.o._

Once again, Hanabi's surroundings were blurred slightly, as she ran with all her might (without dropping the bento box) toward the training grounds she knew Hinata favored. Her arms spread apart at her sides, she sprinted to the location, all the while saying to herself, "I'll get to see Kiba-kun again!" over and over. Her heart was racing with excitement, and she couldn't stop the smile that was placed on her lips.

Once she found herself looking at the entrance to the forest training grounds, she took a deep breath and sighed. This time, she had better make sure she talks to Kiba for a longer time than those few pep words they exchanged three days ago. Ask him about himself, tell him a few things about herself, and perhaps make him laugh. Ah, she could see it now…

After telling yet another laugh-out-loud joke to him, Kiba was laughing so hard he had to wipe tears from his eyes. Hanabi too, was laughing. He then scratched his head and looked deep into her eyes, his own eyes reflecting the sunlight. "You're so funny, Hanabi. It's a wonder you don't have a boyfriend," he said, grinning with that overpowering smile he had. Hanabi's cheeks tinted pink, and she looked down, trying to suppress the butterflies in her stomach. She humbly wondered why he would bring something like that up.

"_I…I guess I never really thought about it…" she said, shyly. Hanabi looked at her hands and started to play with her fingers, to subside the blush, and then she looked up at him again. The amount of butterflies grew when she noticed Kiba inching closer, slowly. _

"_It's never too late to get one, y'know…" he slowly placed his hand on top of Hanabi's. She gasped a little at the gesture, but then relaxed and nodded. His hand felt rough from blisters as a result of fierce training, but to Hanabi, it was pure heaven. She drank it all in, his smell, his touch, his calm smile, which was creeping closer and closer to her own set of lips…"Hanabi…" was the last word he said before he leaned over and they…_

Suddenly Hanabi gasped loudly at what she was fantasizing about. "I-Idiot…! Like _hell_ he would do th-that so soon…" she closed her eyes and shook her head until she was completely back into the real world. Daydreaming about it won't make the _real_ Kiba do those things. Hanabi breathed again and stood up straight, raised her chin, and placed a proud look in her eyes, so that Hinata wouldn't ask any stupid questions if Hanabi entered with an idiotic grin on her face. Making complete sure she looked presentable, Hanabi started to walk into the forest training grounds.

_.o._

"OK, Hinata. You still haven't gotten it down clearly, but we'll look it over after lunch," the calm voice of Kurenai referring to some throwing exercises reached the rest of the team. They all nodded in unison, and made way to the edge of a thick moss-covered tree, which held small bags of gear.

Kurenai, Kiba, and Shino had already found their lunches, and were waiting for Hinata to locate hers so they'd avoid being rude. But she was searching her bag of gear for a little longer than usual. Her small, pale hands went blindly searching throughout the bag resting on her lap. "I-I can't find my lunch…" she said, her voice quavering. "I f-forgot my bento box…" without warning, she buried her head in her hands. "I-I'm such an idiot…father even made sure to remind me about it this morning… Why can't I ever do anything right…? I…oh…" she tried holding back the tears, but a sob busted from her lips.

Kiba and Shino were observing this while Hinata ranted on to herself about how bad she was at everything. "Great. Hinata's gone emo-kid on us again," Kiba huffed. He started rubbing the back of Akamaru's ears, and the dog's tail twitched in content.

"Even the smallest, weakest bugs have talents that can be crucial to missions…she needs to realize that," Shino murmured from under his thick jacket.

"Yeah, yeah. Enough of your bug analogies, Shino. Looks like we'll have to share some food with her…again," Kiba sighed and looked at his perfectly made lunch. He'd rather perhaps share a dog treat with her, but he didn't think Hinata would like that very much. He sighed again, and took out a strip of beef jerky. "Hey, Hinata."

She abruptly stopped sobbing, and turned her head over to him, her hands on her wet cheeks. "Y-Yes?"

Kiba's lower lip stuck out, and he pouted as he told her, "Hey, if you're hungry…Shino and I are willing to share with you." He held up his beef jerky.

Suddenly a bunch of bushes started violently rustling. It startled the team, and they all jumped on their feet, kunai at hand. Kiba enhanced his smell to see if he recognized this intruder. He closed his eyes to concentrate harder. Smelled like…lunch.

"Hey! Hinata, you idiot! You left your bento box back at home," a small figure emerged from a bush, holding what apparently was Hinata's lunch in her hands. Immediately Kiba remembered her.

"Oh, hey, Hanabi-chan!" he called out to her, smiling, for the fact that he could keep his precious jerky strip to himself.

At first, Hanabi didn't notice Kiba, but when he called out to her, Hanabi's face immediately turned red, and she was screaming in her mind_, Yes! He called me 'Hanabi-chan' again! And…and he's _smiling_ at me!_ Her knees started growing weak, letting her mind flow. She didn't even notice when Hinata happily got up and ran to hug her sister.

"Oh, Hanabi-chan! Thank you so much!" She squeezed Hanabi's torso with her arms and wiped her face from the previous tears. "I'm sorry you had to go through the trouble of coming out all the way out here…" she smiled.

When Hinata called her name, Hanabi flinched. It sounded so disgusting when _she_ said it…only Kiba could make her name sound so beautiful and sweet, with that wonderful, soothing voice of his. "Um, yeah. It really was no trouble at all…" she replied. It only made Hinata smile even more, and she hugged Hanabi again.

"Y-You really can be sweet, sometimes…" Hinata whispered. Hanabi felt like gagging. She was almost desperate to go and talk to Kiba. Hanabi had to act fast…before they finished their lunch and go back to training.

Hanabi loosened Hinata's grip on her torso, let go of her hands, and started walking toward Kurenai, Shino, and Kiba. "U-Um…sorry for interrupting your training," she said apologetically.

Kurenai waved it off. "It's alright. We were just about to begin lunch, when you saved Hinata's day," she smiled at Hanabi.

Hanabi smiled back. "Oh, um, that's a good thing to hear." Ugh! She has to talk to Kiba. She didn't come all the way here to talk to her sister's sensei! Hanabi quickly turned her head over to Kiba before Kurenai could say anything more. She then saw that he was lounging back on the forest floor, petting a dog. "Oh…you have a dog?"

Kiba grinned when he saw the chance to brag about his partner in crime. "Yeah! His name is Akamaru. You wanna pet him?" he picked Akamaru up and handed him up to Hanabi.

At first, Hanabi recoiled. _Dogs…_But then she figured that complimenting the dog would be complimenting Kiba in a way, so she smiled and started to pet him, shyly. "H-He's really cute…" she whispered, blushing.

"H-Hanabi-chan!" Hinata gasped. "But I thought you're—" she reached over to Hanabi.

"Hinata…_shut it_." Hanabi made sure to say it so quietly so that only her sister could hear the words, but it sounded so fierce that it automatically made Hinata stop talking. Hanabi finished it off with a glare to her. "I'm _fine_."

Hinata shut her gaping mouth, and her face molded into a slightly angered expression. "Hanabi…"

"Anyway," Hanabi turned to face Kiba again. "Akamaru is really cute." At the comment, Akamaru licked her fingertips. She giggled on the outside, but on the inside, her stomach was twisting and turning in disgust. "So what does he do?"

At this, Kiba grinned and started talking about how they work together in ninjutsu. He bragged and explained virtually everything about his faithful canine; all the while Hanabi gave him her complete undivided attention. When he was finished, the team had to get back to training. It was already almost sundown. She couldn't bear to just leave him, so Hanabi decided to stick around, and watch Kiba in action.

For the last two hours, Hanabi sat leaning her back against a tree, and daydreamed about being chained up against the trunk, while Kiba fought three kidnappers (Kurenai, Shino, and Hinata) to come and rescue her. She was in absolute ecstasy, and her face was red the whole time.

Then, all too soon, it was time to head home. Hanabi could feel her heart sink as the team started to gather their belongings. She decided to help Hinata out a little bit, and collected some forgotten kunai knives and placed them in Hinata's bag.

When they were done, they all said their good-byes. Hanabi made the hint that she'd love to do this again some other time, and Kiba smiled. "Good, I wouldn't want to risk my lunch like _that_ again," he said, and laughed.

_.o._

Then the two sisters entered their home, Lord Hyuuga asked where Hanabi had been all this time. They both explained that she decided to stick around, and Lord Hyuuga accepted the excuse. He smiled to himself a little bit, thinking that Hanabi was starting to bond with her sister.

Hanabi finally made it to the safe comforts of her room, leaped into her bed, and hugged her pillow tight against her chest. She kept giggling in delight—she's never felt this happy about anyone before…absolute euphoria. Hanabi started daydreaming again…what would happen when Kiba confessed his love for her? What kind of wedding will they have? What will their kids look like? What if Lord Hyuuga doesn't accept Kiba? Then they will have to run away together! Live in a small country and live in peace and love, together, forever.

Her heart was so uplifted and the butterflies in her stomach were becoming so expanded—she just didn't know what to do. But then a knock came at her door, and all her happiness disappeared in the blink of an eye. "Hmm?"

The doorknob jiggled slightly, and then turned open. Half of Hinata's face could be seen, dark in the shadows. She looked more or less angry, and confused.

"Hanabi…you're allergic to dogs…aren't you," she said coldly, before shutting the door again.

Hanabi just continued to lie there, and didn't bother to respond. She didn't, because she _couldn't_. Her tongue had swollen up in her mouth so much; all she could do was hum.

**To be continued...**


	3. Bookworm

**Bookworm**

The next day, Hanabi was standing behind the equipment shed of the Ninja Academy. Checking her watch every few minutes, she tapped her foot on the ground in rhythm, her hands on her sides. "Where is she…?" Hanabi murmured impatiently to herself. Shaking her head, she questioned the fact if that girl would even come at all. If she planned on ditching her, Hanabi would have a few things to say about that. She took her hands and started cracking her knuckles out of boredom.

After about five more minutes, a loud, high-pitched squeak came to Hanabi's ears, "I'm here!"

Hanabi turned around and saw the bookworm of her class. Her name was Yayoi, and she always had a number of books in her hand (even during summer), she continually had to push her large, loose, glasses up the bridge of her nose, and she loved to gather information on every resident in Konoha. Which was just exactly what Hanabi needed her for.

"You're late," Hanabi said flatly, her arms crossed around her chest.

"I-I know! I'm sorry. Duty called!" Yayoi said, her hand balled into a fist.

…

"…You tripped over an old lady and spilled all your books, didn't you, Yayoi?" Hanabi uncrossed her arms, and held then limply by her sides.

"…Yeah…" Yayoi's shoulders slumped. She always seemed to bump into people and spill all of her books consistently. It gave her the reputation of being clumsy.

Hanabi scoffed, "Idiot, then don't carry all those stupid books all the time. Except…" She pointed to a small black notebook, stuffed in the chest pocket of the jacket Yayoi was wearing, "…That one. That's the one I need." Hanabi looked at it longingly, waiting for Yayoi to open it.

The girl nodded and placed the rest of her books down on the ground. She reached into her pocket with her pale hands, and grabbed the small notebook. Yayoi drew it out and flashed it to Hanabi.

"That's the one where you store all your information to every resident of Konoha, yes?" Hanabi asked. Yayoi nodded. "Then look up Inuzuka Kiba for me."

Yayoi pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose before opening the little black book. She flipped around the contents for a few seconds before stopping and placing her index finger on a page. "OK, here we go. Name: Inuzuka Kiba, of the Inuzuka clan. Birth date: July seventh. Age: Fourteen. Eye color and hair color: Black and brown. Blood type: B."

Hanabi opened her eyes a little more. Where did this girl get this kind of information? Her classmates don't call her the Information Gatherer of Konoha for nothing. On the inside, she smiled, content for the chance of knowing her Kiba-kun even more.

Yayoi continued on her ranting, "Height: 152.5 centimeters. Weight: 44.7 kilograms. Weapon of choice: His dog, Akamaru. And Kiba's favorite food is beef jerky," she slowly closed the book in content. Yayoi looked up from the back of the book and smiled. "Is…that what you wanted?"

Hanabi jerked her head up. "Yeah. Thanks," she leaned against the wall of the equipment shed. Her hands fiddling around in the interior of her pockets, she drank in everything about Kiba that she just learned. At first, she wondered if perhaps Yayoi had taken interest in Kiba as well (How else could she get so much information?), but then she shrugged it off. Kiba wouldn't take any interest in the likes of this nerd…and Yayoi had stuff like this on _everyone_ in Konoha. Hanabi decided not to worry.

Hanabi thought that Yayoi was going to simply put the black book back in its place, but instead she drew a pen out from another pocket and placed the tip on the corner of an empty page. "All right, in exchange for sharing information about Inuzuka Kiba, I want you to give me some information about _yourself_," her smile was hidden behind her notebook.

Hanabi gave a look at Yayoi, and then sighed. "My name is Hyuuga Hanabi, of the Hyuuga clan. I am nine years old. My birthday is March 27…" she drifted off, watching Yayoi scribble down all her words in her book. Her hand seemed to zoom across the page, at miraculous speed. "Um…my blood type…? I don't know…I think A. I am 132.4 centimeters tall, I weigh 28.9 kilograms, and my style of choice is the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist."

"Anything…personal? T-To add as a side?" Yayoi's eyebrows lifted up.

Hanabi paused for a second, thinking of what to say. Then, a smile creeped across her lips, and she said, "Sure. Add something along these lines: 'Hyuuga Hanabi is also the girlfriend of Inuzuka Kiba.'"

It took a second for Yayoi's head to jerk up with a shocked expression on her face. Hanabi laughed out loud. "Hey, it's what you asked," she shrugged her shoulders. "OK, so, I guess our little meeting can be over now..."

For a few seconds, Yayoi stood in the same spot, rubbing her feet together, obviously thinking about something. Her gaze dropped to the ground in noticeable nervousness. Hanabi looked at her and waited impatiently for Yayoi to spit it out. Then, she apparently brought up the courage and suddenly asked Hanabi in a loud voice, "So, um…d-do you want to possibly…go somewhere? Like we could have lunch together or something, and maybe train together—"

"No way." Hanabi scoffed. Suddenly her good mood disappeared when she was hearing this Yayoi girl talk to her as if she was some kind of…buddy. "All I said to you was that I wanted to meet you here, and have you tell me some information about Kiba. I never said anything about hanging out with you for the rest of the day," Hanabi straightened herself out and stretched her arms. Hanabi brushed her legs off of dust, and then began to walk away, and without looking back at Yayoi, she said, "Thanks, but…it's not like we're friends or anything," and she disappeared around the corner, leaving Yayoi standing alone, her eyes wide.

…Yayoi left the equipment shed with her books leaned against the wall, forgotten.

_.o._

Hanabi opened the sliding door and stepped in, taking her shoes off. "I'm home," she announced. She placed her shoes on the shelf and slipped in to some of her favorite soft slippers. She looked around and noticed that barley anyone was home.

Except Hinata.

She was sitting on a chair pulled on close to the kitchen table, a small bowl of senzai in her hands. Her face looked concerned and confused, once more. "Why were you doing that?"

"Doing what?" Hanabi said, nonchalantly. She opened a cabinet and started to mix herself some cold tea, her eyes half closed.

Hinata's grip on the bowl tightened. "You know what I mean. Yesterday. W-With Kiba and Akamaru…why didn't you tell him you are allergic to dogs?" her eyes gave a pleading look.

Hanabi huffed. "My tongue didn't swell up _that_ much, Hinata. It's not a problem. Anyway, I thought Akamaru was a really cute puppy. Is that a crime?"

"N-No! But what confuses me is the fact that you've already admitted to hating dogs! You've said yourself, sister…that dogs are nothing but mindless lumps of meat and spit that depend on you every waking second of their lives…" Hinata's shoulders dropped, and she looked into her senzai bowel. "That's what…you said…" her eyebrows, which were before turned inward, relaxed, and she slowly turned her eyes away from Hanabi.

Hanabi finished making her tea, but she really wasn't in the mood to listen to Hinata point out every single fault Hanabi had. She picked the glass up, feeling the ice coldness seep into her fingers. She turned to Hinata and tried to think of an excuse to go to her room. Hanabi closed her eyes.

"Well…why would I say something like that in front of your dog-loving teammate? Kind of rude, don't you think?" Hanabi opened her eyes and looked toward Hinata, who was also staring back at her. Hanabi shrugged, with an I-don't-know-why-you're-being-so-stubborn look on her face.

"I…I guess so…sorry…" Hinata's face became sad, and she looked back at her hands. She kept blinking, possibly to stop tears forming in her eyes. Why was she being so accusative…? At first, Hinata felt concerned for her younger sister, but now she was feeling humiliated. She gripped her bowl harder and buried her head in between her shoulders.

Hanabi watched her, and decided to go up to her and give Hinata a small pat on the shoulder. Her fingers graced the soft material on Hinata's coat, and she said calmly, "It's fine. I don't really know what your problem is, but whatever," she let her arm rest by her side, and began to walk out of the kitchen and down the hallway to her room, leaving Hinata gazing straight ahead of herself.

Hanabi took her time walking to her room, listening to the slippers on her feet make soft _thumps_ in rhythm, and observing all of the portraits of honored Hyuuga members hanging up on the wall. Yes…someday, she'll be up there.

She made it to her door and slowly opened it, being careful not to make it creek. Hanabi entered her room, and leaped back-first onto her bed. _What a day…_

Hugging her pillow to her chest, Hanabi lied there and gazed at the ceiling. _Kiba-kun…_She didn't bother to memorize his height and weight and stuff, but she made sure to start planning on what she was going to do this upcoming July 7th.

**To be continued...**


	4. Light Wine

**Light Wine**

"_Hanabi!_"

The shrill shout bashed against the girl as she jolted her head up to see three kunai knives speeding in her direction, one knife already whisking to the side of her face. She gasped and darted to the side fiercely, scraping her knees in the process. When she found herself crouching on the ground, Hanabi glided her fingers across her scrape, then looked behind her to see the previous knifes cut deep into the wall behind them. Her eyes wide, she looked back at her knee, and leaned her head in. _Idiot…_

"What was that, Hanabi?" she heard the rustle of her father's clothes as he ran up to her and stood at her side. "That was a straightforward frontal attack with simple kunai… I wasn't expecting for you to just stand there and enjoy the view," there was much irritation in his voice.

Hanabi leaned in more to form a bow, and muttered, "Forgive me, Hyuuga-sama." Most fathers would usually run up to their child and ask if they were OK, instead of scolding them. But that was a luxury Hanabi had never grown up with. She closed her eyes and waited for her father's response.

For a few long seconds Lord Hyuuga stood at her side, silent. Then she heard him give a sharp bark. "What are you waiting for? Get up."

Hanabi bowed her head lower in apology, then shifted her weight in her feet and pushed herself upright. All morning long Lord Hyuuga and Hanabi were out in the courtyard practicing basic skills with each other. More or less bonding. Hanabi didn't know what to call it, but she didn't care, either. Almost everything that used to be important to her became unnecessary trash, ever since she had met the one she claims to love. Hanabi had also been planning on helping out with the celebration of Kiba's birthday in about a month. She already knew she'd bring him beef jerky. Lots and lots of beef jerky, _that_ was for sure. Hanabi started to imagine the surprised look on his face when he would open up her other gift. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered in content.

"Hanabi, you seem distracted this morning. Ever since we've started, I've been on the offensive," The Lord Hyuuga began to say. Hanabi looked up at him in hopes that he would dismiss her from training, so then she'd have a chance to go and plan some more. But instead, Lord Hyuuga continued on, "But whatever is on your mind, get over it. It won't be important on the battlefield." He looked at her strictly. "You won't have the free time to focus on anything else during a mission; that's what gets third-rate ninjas killed. We've been over this many times, Hanabi," he gave an exasperated sigh.

Hanabi's gaze dropped to the ground. "Yes, Hyuuga-sama." Her teeth gritted. Anything to go back to her room…anything…

"Oh, g-good morning father, sister," the timid voice of Hinata caught their attention. Lord Hyuuga looked up and Hanabi turned her head behind her to see her older sister carrying a large bottle of…_something_, and a few boxes that were decorated heavily. Presents, apparently. Hinata gave a shy smile.

Lord Hyuuga nodded. "I thought you were going off training with your team."

"W-Well, I was…but today is June 11th…it's my sensei's birthday. Everyone's going to celebrate instead of training." Hinata tried to give a small bow, but one of the boxes lost its balance and fell to the ground, stirring up some dust. "Oh…" Hinata slowly placed the other packages on the ground and brushed off the lone box.

Suddenly Hanabi had an idea. "Hey, Hinata. That's a lot of stuff there you have to carry," she walked over to her sister and picked up a few packages. "So how about I tag along and help you carry some," she looked at Hinata and waited for her approval. Even if Hinata didn't want her to go, there was no way Hanabi would miss the chance in seeing Kiba.

The sparkle in Hinata's eyes told Hanabi that she greatly approved. She got up and hugged her sister. _Maybe this is her way of telling me she's forgiving me for acting the way I did the other night…_Hinata thought. She let go and gave her sister a small smile. "I would love you to come and help…thank you," making sure to be polite, Hinata bent her back low and bowed.

Hanabi smirked to herself. Perfect…since they're just going to be sitting around, eating cake and whatnot, Hanabi can talk to Kiba as long as she desires. Her butterflies were dancing in delight, and it tickled her stomach. "Well," she said, grunting to pull up another box, "We should get going." It was all she could do to not jump up and down, screaming, 'Hurry up! Hurry up! Let's go!' Hinata nodded and made sure her presents were tightly secured and the bottle wasn't going to drop and break. _What a slow woman…_Hanabi's shoulders dropped.

_.o._

The two sisters had been walking for a few minutes along the streets of Konoha, and Hanabi could tell Hinata was trying to ask Hanabi about her days, what she liked and whatnot. _More bonding… _Hanabi supposed. She mostly ignored her sister's questions, though.

Then Hanabi got really bored and tired from holding the largest boxes, and she wanted to take her mind off of the weight. She finally decided to try and talk to Hinata, "So…what kind of cake did you guys get for your sensei?" she asked, trying her best to sound interested.

Hinata turned her head to Hanabi, surprised that she finally said something to her. When she directed her thoughts toward Hanabi's question, she slightly shook her head. "N-No, Kurenai-sensei doesn't really l-like cake all that much…" Hinata turned her head forward, and her eyes were looking at one specific box in her hands. Perhaps recalling something in the past.

Hanabi looked at Hinata, dumbfounded. "So then…what'd you get her?" almost right after the words came out of her mouth, her mind turned to the bottle in Hinata's hands.

Almost as if reading her mind, Hinata reached a small hand in her pouch slung across her shoulders, and grabbed the same bottle. She drew it out and shyly looked over at her sister…worried about Hanabi's upcoming reaction. "L-Light wine…the alcohol level is very low…and I w-wanted to be polite."

At first, Hanabi was shocked. She looked at her sister, then sighed and shrugged it off. "Whatever. Carry all the booze you want, I don't care," Hanabi slightly relaxed. If Hinata's sensei were as responsible as so claimed, she wouldn't let Hinata take a sip. Not like Hinata would take one herself, in the first place. She wasn't that stupid…she just wanted to get one of the few things she knew Kurenai enjoyed. She was only being nice.

After a few minutes, the two reached the gate of the training grounds. Hanabi turned her head around the area, looking for Shino, Kiba, or Kurenai. She turned back to the entrance, and saw that Hinata was heading toward the gate. "We're going to celebrate _in there_?" Hanabi looked at Hinata with a confused expression on her face. "Why not, I don't know, a park or something?"

Hinata stopped abruptly and her gaze dropped to the ground. "It's j-just a place we're familiar with…" she looked back up and turned to her sister. "Is there…something wrong with it?"

Hanabi stood there for a second, and then shook her head. "No, sorry." She walked up to Hinata's side, and looked up to the gate. Really…she had no idea why they would want to have a celebration in the same place where they sweat and bleed every other day, but since Hanabi was given the wonderful opportunity to be with Kiba, she didn't care about the location. "So, are we going in yet or not?" Hanabi turned her head to Hinata, who was looking back at her.

Hinata shyly nodded, and said, "Y-Yes." She shifted the boxes positions to another arm, and started walking in the gate, and Hanabi followed. Her butterflies were practically singing and dancing, and Hanabi was itching to sit down and relax with her Kiba-kun at her side.

**To be continued...**


	5. Here

**Notes: **(2010) - This is how much I've written in the 06-07 era. I basically abandoned this fic because I was able to think of a beginning and a middle, but no end (something I've been able to avoid from then on). So, really, if you have any suggestions on a good ending, I would love to hear them. :)

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**Here**

For the next few minutes Hinata and Hanabi were silently walking side by side, exchanging a few glances every now and then. It was all Hanabi could do in order to resist the temptation of sprinting forward, leaving her sister behind, and have Kiba all to herself. She started diverting her mind to the cracklings of the leaves, dancing and crumbling around the legs of the two sisters as they walked. She noticed the small bugs that would scurry away from their threatening feet, as they thumped to the ground, in hopes of avoiding getting squashed. When Hanabi stepped on one of the bugs, she giggled softly. _Stupid…_

Hinata turned to her; unable to see Hanabi's face from the amount of boxes her sister was holding. "D-Did you say something?"

"Oh…nothing." Hanabi closed her eyes. She was starting to get just a little impatient with all the walking and talking and the…_not_ _being with Kiba_.

Almost as soon as she thought of that comment, she heard her sister say, "Hello, everyone…and, Happy Birthday, Kurenai-sensei!"

Hanabi's eyes shot open and she jerked her head up. For a moment a grin shot over her face, but she quickly suppressed it. "Hello…" she said after her sister. Hanabi was looking at a small blanket spread out over the forest floor, with some food and more boxes covering it. Kurenai, Shino, and (to her delight) Kiba were crouched down around three sides of the blanket, making sure to leave room for Hinata and Hanabi.

Hanabi's manners suddenly disappeared, and she ran over to the empty side, practically dropped the boxes on the blanket, and scooted over closer to the side where Kiba was lounging on his back. She sat down with a slight smile on her face. "Hello, Kiba-kun…"

Kiba looked at her and smiled. "Hey, Hanabi-chan," and then looked up at Hinata, who was still standing a few feet away. "And hey, Hinata! Come on and sit down, we can't do all this without you, you know," he grinned and Akamaru barked in agreement.

Hinata beamed. "Y…Yes," she walked over, sat her boxes carefully beside of Hanabi's, and made herself comfortable next to her sister, and across from Kurenai.

Kiba turned his head to and fro to look at everyone once, then sighed contently. "Right! We're all here now. So we can get this little party started."

Hinata, Hanabi, Shino, and Kiba all simultaneously turned their heads and looked at Kurenai, in anticipation. She looked at them all and smiled softly. "OK. Well, what do you guys want to do first, food or presents?"

"Oh, sensei, it's _your_ birthday…you should decide," Hinata said quietly.

"I don't care either way."

"You should! You get what you want," Hanabi piped.

"Yeah, so what'll it be," Kiba reached over and grabbed the bottle of light wine Hinata had slung over her back. "Food and drink," then he picked up a small box and held it up to show to Kurenai, "or presents? Your call," he sat both of the items in front of Kurenai.

The woman took a look at both the wine and the box, then sighed, placed a hand on her head, and closed her bloodshot eyes. "This is why I hate birthdays…Everyone's always in your face, treating you like some kinda _god_…" she opened one eye and looked at her pupils. "Presents. Just to get it over with…"

Hinata and Kiba both smiled, Hanabi simply sat there, and Shino…no one could really pinpoint his emotions exactly at that moment. But being his teammate for such a long time, Hinata could tell he was in a content state. "P…Presents it is!" Hinata leaned forward and reached around the bottle with her small hands and held it up, to let everyone see. "I…I got you some light wine. I didn't really know exactly what kind you like, so…um…" she slowly handed the bottle over to Kurenai, to let her see.

Kurenai took the bottle and leveled it with her face, examining it. "It says, 'Black Raspberry Fizz' so it's a fruit beverage brand..." The woman looked up and gave a warm smile to Hinata. "Thank you, Hinata. I love it," she leaned over and wrapped one arm around Hinata's back, and gave a light squeeze.

"You're welcome…"

After that it was Kiba's turn. He leaned over the blanket and reached for a box that was wrapped in brown package paper…rather poorly. When he leaned over, Hanabi was able to get a small whiff of Kiba's arm. It smelled like salt and sweat. Hanabi drunk it all in nonetheless.

He grabbed the box and held it up to Kurenai. She took it, smiled at Kiba, and carefully unwrapped the paper, making sure not to rip it. She dug her fingernails under a few creases, and finally made an opening. She slid the box out from under the paper, used her nails to rip the duct-tape off the box, and lifted the lid up. She carefully reached in, evading some more package paper stuffed in the box, and lifted out what seemed to be a small necklace. When she lifted more of the string out, the end of the necklace revealed a small fang.

Kurenai looked up at Kiba, and he started explaining. "It's the fang from one of the most loyal dogs the Inuzuka clan has ever partnered with—Shiromaru. When the most well-known, special canines pass on, it's traditional to take either a fang or a claw, and tie it to a string to form a necklace. Usually it's passed on to the heirs of the Inuzuka clan, but hey, you know. I'm not really much of a jewelry man," Kiba smiled, and watched as Kurenai carefully tied the string around her neck, and held the fang in her hands, observing it. "They say that whoever wears the fang of a most respected canine partner, will have good luck on the battlefield. Of course, I don't really believe in all that luck and omen mumbo-jumbo, but still," he shrugged.

Kurenai looked at Kiba and smiled. "Thank you, Kiba. I'll be sure to wear it whenever I'm about to go on an elite mission," she leaned forward and gave Kiba the same one-armed hug that Hinata received.

Kiba stirred for a moment, and blushed slightly. It was barely visible, but Hanabi saw it. _Aww! He's so cute when he blushes! I guess he's not used to women showing gestures like that…_Hanabi glanced over at Kurenai, who was continuing to gaze at her new necklace. _That's good, though. He's…pure. _She silently giggled.

"Well…last is Shino-kun's…" Hinata quietly stated, looking over to her comrade.

Shino looked back at Hinata, then grunted, reaching behind him to grab something from a back pocket.

"Lately I've noticed that the tint of color in your makeup has become…paler. It gave me the reason to believe that you were running out, so I've purchased an extra amount…" Shino stated, releasing the contents of the gift in his hand before letting his sensei find out.

Nonetheless, Kurenai happily took the gift and opened it up to find a surplus of makeup boxes, taken from the very company she enjoyed buying cosmetics. She smiled warmly at Shino and gave him the one-armed hug. Shino didn't react.

"Well, now that that's all done, let's get to some eating," Kurenai announced. She reached over the blanket and started handing out drinks and snacks to everyone across the blanket.

"Let's…let's eat!" Hinata smiled.

_.o._

After the 'party', Hinata and Hanabi helped clean up the food and paper, and began to head on home. Both were now carrying small bunches of ripped paper, and a small portion of the leftover snacks for themselves. On the way home, the two sisters were silent to each other once more.

After a few minutes of silence, and realizing they were about halfway home, Hinata decided it was a good opportunity to apologize appropriately to Hanabi.

"Umm…Ha-Hanabi…?"

The younger sister's ears pricked up, and without turning to look at her sister, answered, "Yes, Hinata?"

Hinata slightly blushed and started doing that…_thing_…with her fingers. "Umm…well…It's just…the other day…"

Hanabi's ears twitched again, and this time she lifted her head to look at Hinata. "The other day…?" _Oh, now I remember…_

"Y…Yes. I just wanted to say…sorry, Hanabi-chan…" Hinata breathed, barley audible. Her grip on the snacks tightened, afraid that bringing up the past events would spawn an argument. Her shoulders slightly tensed up when she heard her sister speak again.

"Hinata…it's okay. I already said it was fine, didn't I? Just think nothing more of it, 'kay?" Hanabi replied. She wasn't smiling, though.

Hinata looked at Hanabi, and relaxed. "Th…Thank you, Hanabi-chan…" she then smiled.

Hanabi's face became warm. "All right, now that that's settled, let's just focus on getting home, I really need to train some more."

Hinata giggled slightly. "Training seems to be the most important thing to you, Hanabi-chan."

_You don't even know the half of it._ Hanabi thought, her mind directing towards the image of Kiba. "…It could be."

Hinata giggled again, and smiled warmly. "Let's hurry on home, then…"

**To be continued...**


End file.
